Deles calls on Pinoys to support talks with MILF

MANILA, Philippines – Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) head Teresita Deles yesterday urged the public to support the gains of the peace process being facilitated by the government with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Deles told participants of the “1Goal for Peace” ceremony that kicked off the month-long celebration of Peace Month 2012 at the Philsports Complex in Pasig City that major breakthroughs in the current peace talks of the government with the MILF in Mindanao would soon be possible.

“The time for peace is now! Together, let’s score a goal for peace,” Deles told peace advocates and guests, including some 100 youngsters who underwent a football clinic with members of the Philippine Azkals football team that highlighted the “1Goal for Peace” ceremonies.

“The values of teamwork, cooperation, support, determination and resilience amidst challenges and difficulties are important in pushing the gains of the peace process,” Deles said.

Deles underscored the need for unity and collective efforts among Filipinos amidst diversity to achieve the ultimate goal of resolving the decades-old armed conflicts in the country.

“If we work together, we can make things happen. In working for a just and lasting peace, no one loses; no one is short-changed or aggrieved,” she said.

The theme of this year’s Peace Month celebration is “Ako. Ikaw. Tayo. Magkakaiba, Nagkakaisa sa Kapayapaan (You. Me. Us. Different, but united in peace).”

Deles explained that “our diversity as a nation is not a hindrance for us to work together hand-in-hand as we share the aspiration for just and lasting peace.”

“Constantly, we should inculcate and train ourselves and those around us in the culture of respect, tolerance, and value for diversity,” she said.

Deles said OPAPP maintains the government’s continued guarded optimism in the on-going peace process.

In the peace talks with the MILF, Deles said “the government hopes to be able to sign a series of agreements within the year and complete their implementation during the Aquino administration.”

“On the ground, the ceasefire between the government and the MILF forces continues to hold. There has been no recorded skirmishes between the two forces since January 2012,” Deles said.

She said the 31st formal exploratory talks between the government and MILF are set to start this month.

Deles urged the public to support the “next stages of the peace process.”

“Let us take this golden opportunity for we are in a time filled with hope and optimism under the true and tested ‘daang matuwid’(straight path) good governance platform of President Aquino,” Deles said.

The members of the Philippine Azkals and the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), who trained the children on the basics of football, extended their support to government’s efforts to promote the peace process and expressed their concern to help advance peace in the country as “Ambassadors of Peace.”

Aside from the football clinic, a Peace Fair was also held that was participated in by members of various private and civil society organizations that included the People Power Volunteers for Reform, Asian American Initiative, Generation Peace, PNoyPinay, and Muslim Alliance for National Advancement.

For her part, director Polly Michelle Cunanan, OPAPP spokesperson, said the participation of the Philippine Azkals and the children in a football clinic signified “the building of bridges needed for the promotion of the culture of peace, unity, and understanding.”